Bellinzona, year 2021: a family friend offers us the possibility to manage one hectare of terraced vineyard above a hill close-by. This was the perfect chance to try and put in reality an idea that was already piquing our minds: a wine-making project starting from the land, in order to foster a totally new way to make wine in our region, in collaboration and with the highest respect to nature.

This goes hand in hand with the aim to preserve the traditional ‘heroic vineyards’ on terraced land in the Bellinzona area, which require manual cultivation. Manimatte was born from the dream of Anna and Luca, starting with one hectare of vineyard; in 2024, Joel and Claudia joined the team to manage around three hectares.

Manimatte is converting viticulture and winemaking from conventional farming to the cultivation of fungus-resistant grape varieties (PIWI) using sustainable  practices (organic farming, minimal treatments, use of plant extracts and essential oils, soil care, promotion of biodiversity). Johanniter, Satin noir, Isabella,  Souvignier gris… and more than ten other resistant varieties that we planted in spring 2024 allows us to experiment in the vineyard and in the cellar.

We produce wines from the harvested grapes according to the same philosophy as in the vineyard - with minimal intervention. This includes spontaneous fermentation using the indigenous yeasts of the grapes themselves. We do not use any additives, except for minimal quantities of sulphur dioxides to ensure the quality of the wine during the most delicate stage of vinification (bottling). From year to year we strive to improve our processes to decrease sulphites and who knows, in the future perhaps eliminate them altogether. The ultimate goal of Manimatte is to create a regenerative agricultural network in Ticino that preserves the landscape heritage, promotes biodiversity and supports the well-being of people.